Into the Wilderness
by Fox Sannin's Concept Corner
Summary: He who controls the flow of information holds in his hands the very threads of fate. This was the great truth Naruto had discovered. Setting out into the wilds with his quiet sensei, he sets in motion a plan which will rock the shinobi world to its core.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Naruto! Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. I don't own Naruto.**

**A/N: This is the first of a series of fic 'trials' I am going to do. Basically I am going to write a few fics for Naruto and whichever ones do well I will continue to work on. For full details please see my profile or PM me. I would appreciate feedback and ideas to help me develop the story and if you could pass word of the fic onto your friends.**

* * *

'_Yet another wonderful birthday.' _Naruto thought.

The blonde was currently lying in one of the intensive care rooms of Konoha Hospital. A multitude of tubes protruded from underneath a number of bandages wrapped around his wounded body. The eight-year-old child's body was small and thin, his bones pushing against the skin making them horribly noticeable. Despite that he had a healthy tan built from his many hours of wandering the village, his skill unmarred save for the whisker-like markings on his cheeks.

He sighed as he scratched his head, making sure not to disturb the tubes. It was October 10th, his birthday. For most a birthday would consist of being surrounded by friends and family, eating cake and opening gifts. That was the norm for a child's birthday. Well, any child that wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah.

For as long as he could remember, the villagers and even a few ninja of the village didn't like him. No that's not true. They _hated _him. For whatever reason they always tried to find a way to make his life just a little more miserable. He often asked his persecutors why they did this to him but the only answers he ever received were on the end of a fist. He lived in a run down, little apartment near the outskirts of the village with few personal possessions, no friends, no family the only food he could get came from the kind old man at the local ramen stand.

To say his life was shit was an understatement.

The only person who showed him even an ounce of humility was the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen or Jiji as he was affectionately called by Naruto. The old man often took him out to eat or, if he was really lucky, took him to other villages when he had to go meet a bunch of old guys who wanted something or other. Naruto pretty much tuned him out when he talked about stuff like that. It's not like he did it on purpose but Jiji's job sounded so boring sometimes.

He heard the door open and he turned his head to see the (old) man he had just been thinking about enter the room. The Hokage was wearing the traditional robes of office as usual, his triangular hat perched on his head. He smiled when he saw that Naruto was awake.

"Ah Naruto." He greeted. "It's good to see you're awake."

Naruto gave a small smile. "Hey Jiji."

Sarutobi took a seat beside the boy's hospital bed. "You'll be happy to know that we captured the people who attacked you. I'm going to make sure that they are put away for a very long time."

Naruto nodded and looked down at his lap. "Good."

Sarutobi could sense something was off with the child. "Is anything wrong Naruto?"

Naruto sat quietly for a while, gathering his thoughts. Sarutobi wisely kept quiet, waiting for Naruto to break the silence.

"Jiji?"

Sarutobi looked up. "Yes?"

Naruto took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "It's no secret that the villagers hate me. They glare at me, call me names, throw things at me and attack me. Everybody does something for a reason. You've always told me that you'll explain everything when I'm older but I just can't wait that long." He look up at the Hokage, a very serious expression on his face. "Why do they hate me?"

Sarutobi sighed. Naruto had always been a very bright child and could appear years older than he actually was when he wanted. This was one such occasion. "Naruto I can't tell you yet but-"

"No." Naruto cut him off. "If they are going to keep making my life hell I want to know why."

Sarutobi scratched his head. "Naruto I can't-"

"Jiji." Naruto growled, his patience finally fraying. He'd had enough of being in the dark and he wanted answers. He looked the Hokage in the eye. "Tell. Me."

Sarutobi thought furiously for a moment before he let out a long, tired sigh, his arms dropping to his side. "Okay Naruto I'll tell you. You must know that this is an S-ranked secret. As this pertains to you, you are free to tell who you want but I'd suggest that you not tell anyone from outside the village as that could make you a target to enemy villages." He took out his pipe and lit it. "Do you know what today is?"

"My birthday."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes but what else happened on this date?"

Comprehension dawned on Naruto's face. "The Kyuubi attack."

Sarutobi nodded again. "That's right. Eight years ago the Kyuubi attacked the village. The demon went on a rampage across Fire Country, killing and destroying as it went until it reached Konoha. The ninja were mobilised to fight the creature but where easily overwhelmed. It a fit of desperation the Fourth Hokage came up with a plan to stop it. The plan succeeded and the Kyuubi was defeated…but not killed."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wh-what? But how?"

Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe. "The Kyuubi was essentially a massive amount of sentient chakra and therefore impossible to kill. The only way to defeat it was to seal it…in a child who's chakra coils hadn't developed yet."

Naruto sat stunned. "Me." It wasn't a question.

Sarutobi nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so."

Naruto's mind was in shock as he tried to process this. "It's sealed in me. The Kyuubi. They were right. I'm a monster."

"No!" Sarutobi said sharply, cutting him off. "You are Naruto not the Kyuubi. No matter what anyone says you are human. The Kyuubi is your prisoner. You are a hero in every sense of the word."

Naruto swallowed, nodding dumbly at the Hokage. "Why me?" He asked in a pained whisper

Sarutobi flinched and looked away. "I'm sorry Naruto but-"

Naruto growled loudly. He was tired of all these secrets. "Damn it Jiji, tell me! Why did the Fourth use me!?"

Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his head wearily. He glanced at Naruto's angry and confused face and sighed again as he closed his eyes in thought. _'Minato, Kushina…what do I do? If I tell him and it gets out then he'll be in grave danger but if I don't he could loose any trust in me he has left and do something drastic.'_. After several long moments of contemplation Sarutobi opened his eyes and fixed Naruto with one of the most serious expressions he had ever worn around the young blonde.

"Naruto," He began slowly, making sure Naruto understood every word. "I'll tell you why but you must understand that this secret must not get out. Not yet. Even though this concerns you greatly you must promise me you won't reveal what I am about to tell you to anyone without talking to me first."

He waited for Naruto's slow nod before he continued.

"When the Kyuubi attacked we were desperate. Nothing we did worked and people were dying. We knew how to seal the Kyuubi but it was considered to be a last resort. The reason for this was because, as you know, a child had to be used to contain the demon's power. The Yondaime was powerful but he was also compassionate. He hated the idea of sacrificing a child even if it meant saving the village. When we realised that nothing could stop the Kyuubi the Yondaime was forced to use the Shiki Fuuin seal. As Hokage, the Yondaime knew that he could never ask another family to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself; sacrifice their child to save the village. So he had to make a choice. The Yondaime gave everything for the village. His life, his soul…and his family."

Naruto's eyes were wide by this point, his breath coming in short inhales. _'He couldn't…I mean he can't mean…'_

The Hokage's next words confirmed it. "He had to give up his own son for the sealing."

Naruto fell back against the headboard of his bed, shock numbing his system. The magnitude of what he had just been told had effectively rocked his world. He was a child of a Hokage. _He _was the _son _of the _Yondaime_. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, only a low croaking sound. He was snapped out of his stupor by Sarutobi's hand on his arm.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi asked in concern. "Are you okay? You looked like you were going into shock."

Naruto looked around wildly before his gaze settled on Sarutobi, his eyes wide with disbelief. "The son of the Fourth." He whispered. "I'm the son of a Hokage."

"Yes, you are." Sarutobi said with a smile.

He was having a better time with the information than Naruto was. "The villagers treated me like crap." He whispered. "I'm the son of the Yondaime, you call me a hero for containing the Kyuubi…and they hate me for it. Why didn't anyone tell me? Why did I have to grow up alone? Why the hell didn't they help me!?"

Sarutobi flinched and looked away. "People…people don't think rationally when grief is involved. I'm not excusing the way they've treated you but you must understand that there was so much destruction when the Kyuubi attacked. So much death. The villagers, instead of finding a way past their heartache, chose to focus all their sorrow and anger towards the Kyuubi and since they couldn't get to it directly they harmed you as a means to enact revenge."

Tears were pooling in Naruto's eyes. The unfairness of it all was like weight on his chest, causing his heart to beat uncomfortably. He lost his parents and his childhood to the Kyuubi. He had been shunned for something that he had no control over and instead of looking after him the village chose to dehumanise him, put him on the same level as a rat or a piece of trash on the street. Well he was having no more of it.

Gritting his teeth he began to quickly pull out the tubes and wire attached to him, ignoring the Hokage's pleas for him to stop. Throwing his bed sheet aside he shakily got to his feet and staggered over to his clothes before Sarutobi's stern voice stopped him mid step.

"Naruto!"

The aforementioned blonde panted slightly, both from the exhaustion of his body and the effort it took not to let his tears fall as he looked over his shoulder at the Hokage.

Sarutobi looked both concerned for the boy's safety and agitated at being ignored. "What are you doing? You're still not well, you need to rest."

Naruto shook his head violently as he pulled his worn shirt over his battered body. "No Jiji. I'm not going to be a punch bag for these stupid villagers to take their grief out on any more. I'm leaving."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about Naruto? You can't just leave!"

"The hell I can't!" Naruto snapped as he pulled on his sandals. "They don't want me here. I don't want to be here. Everybody wins."

"Naruto you're eight years old!" Sarutobi cried. "You can't expect to survive outside the village on your own."

"I _will_ survive because I refuse to stay here!" Naruto growled as he began to make his way to the door.

"Naruto wait!"

Naruto looked at the Hokage who had an expression on his face clearly showing him in deep thought. "I think I have an idea. You may be able to get away from the village and I won't have to worry about you. It could take a day or two before I could implement it but it should satisfy everyone involved. I only ask that you trust me."

Naruto thought about it for several long moments. There was no way he was staying in the village and truth be told he didn't know how he planned to survive on his own. If what the Hokage was saying was true there could be a way for him to leave the village _and _get help doing it. Finally he decided. "Okay Jiji I'll wait. But no more than two days."

Sarutobi nodded his consent and helped Naruto back into bed before calling a doctor to reattach the tubes the boy had removed. After making sure he had the boy's promise that he wouldn't run off he left for his office.

He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

Sarutobi lowered himself into his comfortable office chair with a sigh. He hoped he was doing the right thing. Forcing Naruto to stay in the village against his will would most likely lead to him hating the village even more than he seemed to already. He hadn't wanted to tell him about the Kyuubi and his father until he graduated the academy but there had been no choice in the matter.

The leader in him told him that his decision could cause problems but another part of him, a more grandfatherly part told him that Naruto had every right to want to leave. He faced daily persecution and abuse at the hands of his own village and since he was a civilian he was not bound to Konoha.

With a practiced flick he lit his pipe and took a long drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs before blowing it out and pulling a legal looking document towards him. Dipping his pen into the ink he began to write.

_**Konohagakure Shinobi Designation**_

_**Rank Title: **__Teisatsu-nin (Reconnaissance ninja), Information Division, Special Jounin branch._

_**Duties to be carried out: **__Travel the Elemental Nations, gather information pertaining to enemy troop movement, patrol boarders, report suspicious activity._

_**Special Equipment Needed: **__Specialist survival equipment, trained personal messenger bird._

_**Special Skills Needed: **__High skill level in tracking, survival training, hunting, foraging, search and rescue, stealth training, knowledge of flora and fauna, geography._

_**Assignment Length: **__Indefinitely until recalled._

_**Direct Superior: **__Acting Hokage._

_**Assignee: **__Uzumaki Naruto._

_These orders are to be carried out effective immediately._

_Under My Authority._

_Sarutobi Hiruzen_

_Third Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato._

Sarutobi signed the document with a flourish before adding his personal seal making the document legal and binding. This meant that as of now, Naruto was an unofficial ninja of the village. He found it strangely ironic that the young blonde was now a Special Jounin when most children his age were just entering the academy. He chuckled lightly. Naruto was probably the only Jounin in the Elemental Nations who couldn't fight, channel chakra or even throw a kunai.

The only question was who to send with him. It needed to be someone that he could trust to look after Naruto and that meant someone who held no grudge against the boy. Hatake Kakashi sprung to mind immediately but that was impossible. The masked ninja was currently acting as the captain for a unit of Anbu and this mission would take him away from the village for years. His team couldn't function without him so he was out.

Uzuki Yuugao was also a prime candidate. She was often part of Naruto's Anbu guard and had developed a soft spot for the whiskered blonde over the years. She had the necessary skills and he could trust her.

Sarutobi cursed when he remembered that Yuugao was on a mission to Claw Country and wouldn't return for another three months. She was out.

Sarutobi drummed his fingers on the table as he wracked his brain trying to think of _anyone _that he could send. They needed to be trustworthy and skilled enough to teach Naruto how to be a Teisatsu-nin.

A light bulb seemed to off over his head as he realised who he could send. Yes, he would be perfect for the job.

Sarutobi stood and strode from his office to find the man he needed.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street, towards the Hokage tower. He had been released from the hospital an hour ago and he had taken one step out of the place when an Anbu appeared in front of him and passed on a message from the Hokage telling him to come to his office.

He glanced at the villagers as he walked, noticing the usual sneers and glares of hatred. He just frowned and shook his head in disgust.

'_Bunch of ungrateful bastards.' _He thought. _'Its not like I asked the damn Fox to attack or for it to be sealed in me. My father gives his life for them and they spit on his sacrifice. Heh, wonder what they'll say when they find out the truth.'_

Shrugging he continued on to the Hokage tower, pointedly ignoring the other inhabitants of the village.

* * *

"You rang?" Naruto droned as he stepped into the office. The old Hokage was sat behind his desk, a smile visible around his smoking pipe as he waved the blonde to a chair.

"Hello Naruto. How are you?"

Naruto shrugged as he lowered himself into the chair. "A little sore, nothing major. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers in front of him, If Naruto agreed then this would be the last time he saw the blonde for many years. The thought saddened him greatly as he had become quite accustomed to the whiskered child following him around, begging for ramen and pestering him with his many questions. Part of him was hesitant to let him go but he knew that Naruto needed to get away from the village for a while. He just had to accept it.

"Naruto I promised you that I would find a way to allow you to leave the village for a while and give me the piece of mind to know that you are alright. Tell me; what do you want to do with your life?"

Naruto answered immediately. "I want to be a ninja."

Sarutobi smiled. He already knew the answer but he had to make sure before things went into motion. "Well how would you like to be taken away from the village to be trained as a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. He was going to be a ninja! Well he already knew that he was going to be a ninja but now he was going to be one sooner! Then a thought occurred to him. "I thought I had to go through the academy before I could be a ninja."

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes usually you do but there is a rule stating that if a child is apprenticed to a Jounin then they can skip the academy and learn from the Jounin to get the skills they need."

Naruto grinned. "Then does that mean that I'll get my hitai-ate as soon as I learn everything from this Jounin?"

"No."

Naruto's face fell into a confused pout. "I thought you said I could skip the academy and be a ninja."

Sarutobi took a long draw from his pipe before answering. "You will be an unofficial ninja of the village. No matter the skills that a person has they are always required to go through the academy to get their hitai-ate. It's a law that the First Hokage set up to ensure basic understanding of the village's shinobi conduct code is understood by anyone hoping to become a ninja. It is mealy a formality."

Naruto was still confused. "So what does it mean if I'm an unofficial ninja?"

"Basically you wouldn't be able to call from assistance from another Konoha ninja if you need help with any enemies. You wouldn't be able to access any ninja only sections of the village, you wouldn't be trusted with any major village secrets and if you were capture the village would deny any connection with you."

Naruto scoffed. "I think they would deny any connection with me even if I _were _an official ninja."

Sarutobi gave a non-committal grunt as he pulled out a form. It was the form he filled in earlier stating Naruto's ninja capacity. He passed it to the blonde and watched as he read it, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion in some places. Finally he looked up at the old man.

"I'm supposed to do what?"

Sarutobi smiled. "It means you are to travel around Fire Country and the surrounding nations. You look for any suspicious activity; an increase of missing nin, enemy ninja encroaching into our territory and the like. You spend most, if not all of your time in the wilderness in different environments like jungles, deserts, mountains and other places like that. Occasionally I will send you a message via messenger bird asking you to check something out like suspicious troop movement. You'll head to the location and investigate, making sure no one sees you. If anything is out of the ordinary then you send a message back to me and I'll dispatch ninja to investigate. In a time of war you would be sent ahead of the main army to gather data about the enemy."

Naruto looked excited. This would mean he got a free pass to trael as far as he liked from the village provided he did his Jiji a favour and checked out weird stuff that he was worried about. Then something occurred to him. "Hey Jiji? How come I've never heard about any ninja like this? I mean I know most of the ninja positions but I've never heard of a Teisatsu-nin."

Sarutobi smirked around his pipe. He knew Naruto would like this. "That's because there has never been a Teisatsu-nin. You are the first in history."

Naruto blinked. Then blinked again. Then his face broke into a massive grin. He leaped up and stood in his chair whooping with joy. He was the first recon ninja in history! He was famous! He was falling!

He hit the ground with a thud. In his excitement he wobbled the chair a little too much and the thing toppled over. He smiled sheepishly when he heard Sarutobi's laughter and he quickly righted the chair and took his seat again.

After getting his laughter under control Sarutobi looked at Naruto. "So do you agree that you want to take up a job as a Teisatsu-nin?"

Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Then after you meet your Jounin sensei you will both leave the village and commence your training."

Sarutobi saw Naruto's hesitance when he mentioned the Jounin. Past experience taught Naruto to be extremely wary of strangers. He attempted to ease the boy's mind. "Naruto I know you haven't had the best experience with people you don't know but I made sure that the ninja going with you would be one you could trust and someone who would look after you. He was even part of the Anbu squad assigned to protect you for a while and in that time he made sure that no one hurt you."

That eased his worry. If his Jiji said he could trust the guy then he'd give them the benefit of the doubt and if what he was hearing was true then he may have found another person who didn't despise the fact that he still breathed.

"Okay Jiji."

Sarutobi smiled at the blonde. "Are you ready to meet him?"

Naruto took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding. Sarutobi made a motion with his hand and suddenly an Anbu appeared in the room behind his desk. At a nod from the Hokage the Anbu removed his bear mask to reveal the face of a man. His face was rather unremarkable, the most noticeable features were his large dark eyes. A strange hitai-ate-like faceplate framed his face and his brown hair was cut short. He smiled down at the boy as Sarutobi explained the new arrival.

"Naruto this is Tenzou. He'll be your sensei for the next few years. He'll teach you everything you need to know about surviving in the wilderness, train you how to fight and basically show you how to be a ninja."

Naruto waved shyly. "Hey."

Tenzou nodded to the blonde, a kind smile on his face. "Hello Naruto."

"Tenzou already has all the things you need and has collected you belongings from your apartment. You and him will leave the village after we are through here."

"Don't I get some time for one last ramen and get a chance to say goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame-nee-chan?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "I'm sorry Naruto but we should get you out of the village quickly before some of the council hear of the plan. I doubt they could stop you from going but I feel its better if you left before they found out. Don't worry, I'll tell Teuchi and Ayame goodbye for you."

Naruto nodded, a little sad that he wouldn't get to see the owner of the ramen stand and his daughter before he went. They were the first people (besides the Hokage) who even showed him kindness in any way. They were practically family to him. He looked up when the Hokage spoke again.

"Tenzou you should go change into some different clothing. We'll meet you at the main gate." The Anbu nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sarutobi looked back at Naruto.

"Naruto before you leave there is one thing I have to know. What are your thoughts and feelings about your father?"

Naruto sat back in his chair and closed his eyes as he pondered the Hokage's question. The bight he found out about the Fourth being his father he had been up all night pondering it. Part of him loved his father and part of him hated him for what he did. If it wasn't for him he wouldn't be the Kyuubi container and the villagers wouldn't treat him like dirt. Then again if his father hadn't sealed the demon in him then there wouldn't be a village or a him to mistreat. After much thought he came to one conclusion.

"To be truthful Jiji I tried hating him but I found I couldn't. He grew up in a caring village where no one hated him and everyone loved him. Konoha was his home and I imagine that when he sealed the Kyuubi in me he couldn't possibly think the village would treat me like they have. As it is I actually respect him a little more. Because he was the Hokage he could have ordered one of the other families of the village to provide a baby for the sealing and spared me but he chose to use his own son even though it probably killed him to do it. Well…actually it _did _kill him to do it but the point is I don't hate him. I hate the villagers for how they treated me but screw them. It will be funny as hell to see their reaction when they find out the truth but even if I do forgive them I won't forget and part of me will always hate them for how I was treated."

Sarutobi nodded at Naruto's mature stance on things. He had been worried that revealing the truth to him so young would cause him to see only his fathers actions and not the cause or feelings behind them. Once again Naruto had proved just how mature he could be when it mattered.

"I'm proud of you Naruto. You thought things through and didn't ;et your anger cloud your judgment. I can see that one day you'll be a great ninja and a fine man." Sarutobi chuckled at Naruto's blush, showing that the blonde could act as old as he wanted but he was still just eight years old.

Getting up he motioned for Naruto to follow him as he left the office and went into the streets. They chatted about what Naruto would learn, where he would be going, would there be ramen? Soon they found themselves in front of the gates where Tenzou was waiting dressed in full Jounin attire with two large packs on the ground beside him. Stopping at the gate Sarutobi knelt down so that he was eye level with Naruto. He carefully scanned the child's face, burning every detail into his memory. He would miss the boisterous child and he hoped that Naruto could find some peace in the wild.

"Naruto," He said. "I want you to listen to Tenzou. He'll be able to teach you many things I expect you to become the great ninja you are supposed to. But more importantly I expect you to take care of yourself and come back one day so you can tell me all about your travels. We can go get some ramen and catch up." Sarutobi smiled.

"Okay Jiji." Naruto felt a prickling in his eyes. He was slowly realising that he wouldn't be seeing his Jiji for a long time. They wouldn't talk in his office anymore or visit other towns when he needed to do Hokage stuff. Before he even realised what he was doing he flung himself into Sarutobi's arms and wrapped his arms around the old man's neck. He felt the Hokage return the hug and he managed to get a few words past the tightness in his chest.

"I'll miss you Jiji."

Sarutobi patted his adoptive grandson's back. "I'll miss you too Naruto."

They stayed like that for a few more moments before pulling away, Naruto suspiciously wiping his eyes. Sarutobi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him over to Tenzou who had been keeping a respectful distance, as to not intrude on the tender moment. He smiled down at Naruto.

"Are you ready to go Naruto?" He asked.

Naruto only nodded, still a little bummed about leaving his Jiji. Tenzou swung one of the packs onto his shoulder before picking the other up. Naruto went to stand beside him and they both looked at the Hokage who was smiling at them. The teacher and the student. Sarutobi had a feeling these two would get on well.

He cleared his throat. "Well time to be off I suppose. I'll give you some time before I start sending you missions so you can train and get to know each other. And do an old man a favour and try to make sure you keep each other alive."

"We will." The new teacher and apprentice chorused. Sarutobi smiled. Yes, they would get along fabulously. With that Naruto and Tenzou walked through the large archway and out of the village. Naruto looked over his shoulder to look back at Sarutobi who was smiling encouragingly at him. Taking a deep breath Naruto turned away from the village gates and followed his new teacher into the wilderness.

* * *

**A/N: Well that was the first chapter of Into the Wilderness. Please tell me what you think and give any idea's to improve it. If the fic does well I will move it to my other pen name, Fox Sannin, and continue it until completed. Also this will be a romance/action/adventure fic so I would love ides on who Naruto's new love interest will be. No yaoi, harems, love triangles, sensei's like Kurenai or Anko and no Tsunade for the pairing. I'm thinking Sakura because Naruto deserves some good in his life and since he hasn't met Sakura yet she won't be a bitch to him.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Naruto! Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. I don't own Naruto.**

**IMPORTANT!**

**I know, it has been some time since I last updated but believe me that time has been well spent! Many months ago I was contacted by a reader who liked the story and wanted to add his own ideas. I thought they were brilliant and enlisted his help and together we went back and forth over ideas for the story, compiling a freakish number of PM's (Seriously, my short notes for the story are just under 100,000 words long, I checked!). So I went through these notes with my new friend and we ironed out the details. Now the story is going to be bigger and better than ever in every conceivable way! The world will increase in size, the ninja will increase in power, the villages will increase not only in size but in height, samurai will play a bigger part in the story and there will be so much in depthness (Yes, I made that word up, deal with it) that it boggles the mind!**

**Little example: In cannon travelling from Konoha to Suna takes four days. In this story it will take TWO WEEKS on a very, very, very fast horse (You'll see what I mean).**

**Yes good people, there will be pirates, there will be nomads, there will be demons, there will be sea creatures, there will be sex, booze, drugs, humour and above all VIOLENCE!**

**Naturally this will mean a huge cutback on the timeskips. Hell, the training arc alone is looking to be longer than most fanfic stories I've read lol.**

**I've also decided on the final pairings for the story… but I'm not telling! Where would the suspense be in that? Half the story would be given away! But I will tell you this: there will be no Yaoi, Harems or any of that.**

**This means Naruto (and Tenzou) WILL have relationships with women and break up before finding their one true loves, like in real life. I'm going to try to make this the most in depth, realistic, believable and above all ENJOYABLE story I have ever or will ever write. But enough rambling already, on with the story.**

_WindRiver_** my friend, here is a small part of what we spent so long working on. I dedicate it to you for you momentous help.**

**I'm proud to present the new and improved Into the Wilderness, co-written by **_Fox Sannin_** and **_WindRiver_**!**

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

Tenzou resisted turning around and throttling the boy. "No, Naruto." He said patiently.

"Oh."

The Jounin was allowed a minute of blissful silence before it was shattered.

"How about now?"

"_No_, Naruto."

"…"

"…"

"…what about now?"

Tenzou's head slowly turned to face the small blonde menace that was walking just a few steps behind him. He almost lost it when he saw the Cheshire grin on his face. "You're just doing this to torment me now, aren't you?"

The little brat's snicker told him all he needed to know.

Tenzou grit his teeth as a tic started to form just above his left eye. They had been walking for close to four hours now and apart from a few minor questions and introductions there hadn't been much said between the two. That unsaid truce of silence had unfortunately ended when Naruto had started his new game: 'Torment Tenzou until he goes against orders and kills me'. So far the young demon container proved to be very skilled at that particular game. That was the first thing he was going to nip in the bud during this trip.

Naruto sighed heavily and laced his fingers behind his head. "Seriously though, we've been walking for a damn long time. How long until we get to this inn you're taking us to?"

'_That language also has to go. Now I know what Hokage-sama meant when he said the kid was rough around the edges.'_ Tenzou though as he repressed his ire at the boy's previous 'game' and turned back around to face the road ahead. "It's near the edge of the forest so it's still a few hours away. We'll stop for a break soon then keep going until we reach the inn. And for future reference it's called a ryokan, not an inn."

Naruto nodded absentmindedly as he took in the forest to either side of them. They lapsed into silence again and Naruto quickly found himself becoming bored. Lucky he had something to keep his mind off of his boredom. "Oi, Tenzou."

The young Jounin looked over his shoulder at him. "Naruto, since I'm going to be teaching you during this trip you have to call me Tenzou-sensei. Got it?"

Naruto waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What are you gonna teach me?"

Tenzou briefly considered rebuking the boy for rudeness but decided to leave it for later when he pounded manners into his head. Whether that pounding would be figurative or literal was yet to be seen. "Well Hokage-sama wanted you to be taught the basics of being a ninja but chances are that your training will become more specialised eventually."

Naruto blinked. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you'll most likely be focusing on training for certain things more than others."

"Oh. What kind of things will I be specialising in?"

"I don't know yet, we'll likely find out after you get a good grasp of the basics. When I see what your strengths and weaknesses are then we can focus on those."

"Oh."

Tenzou breathed a sigh of relief when Naruto's curiosity appeared to be sated, at least for the moment. He had a feeling that these small moments of silence would become a treasured but rare pleasure in the coming months.

After a few hours they stopped briefly to rest their legs (More for Naruto's benefit than Tenzou's. He _was_ a ninja after all). Naruto complained loudly at first at the lack of ramen, only to actually faint when he was told that he wouldn't be able to get any ramen for months, if not years. After recovering from his shock he quickly ate the portion of meat that Tenzou prepared for him and after a quick bathroom break they were off. By the time they actually reached the inn it was a very welcome sight for both of them.

A ryokan was a traditional type of Fire Country inn that serve travellers along highways. They were difficult to find in large cities like Konoha because of their expense compared to hotels and as such many were found in scenic areas, usually mountains, similar to a bed-and-breakfast. They were usually constructed of natural materials; tatami for flooring and doors are wood-framed sliding rice-paper panels. Despite some ryokan using wooden doors for security, they still opened up to a small entrance area where guests can remove their shoes before stepping onto the tatami flooring, which is separated by a sliding door.

The Grotto was one such ryokan.

Situated near the edge of the forest surrounding Konoha, it was a famous resting place for travellers to spend the night before making the final leg of the journey towards the hidden village. Constructed at the base of a small range of mountains where the waters from the peaks fell into natural springs and surrounded by meretriciously maintained rock gardens and flowerbeds, the entire place screamed 'relaxation'. A pebbled path led up to the entrance, lines of statues spaced along the route like sentinels.

Naruto followed Tenzou through a large set of double doors into a spacious entrance hall filled with comfy looking chairs and couches where a few of the guests talked quietly. Televisions were set into the walls at intervals but surprisingly didn't look out of place amongst the traditional setting.

Tenzou stepped up to the front desk where a young woman wearing a tasteful yukata of deep purple, lavender flowers decorating lower half greeted him with a kind smile. "Welcome to the Grotto. Do you have a reservation?"

"Two from Konoha under the Hokage's name." Tenzou replied. The Hokage had told him he'd send a message along to the fancy resort reserving them a room. He thought the relaxing surroundings might help both Naruto and Tenzou settle in and get along. Tenzou was just glad that the village was covering the expenses of this trip.

The woman tapped something into the computer. "Here we go. Two people from Konoha for one night, dinner and breakfast included?" Getting Tenzou's nod the woman stepped out from behind the desk. "If you'll please follow me, I'll take you to your room."

She led the two through the ryokan's hallways. There were a few pieces of art on display but the true beauty of the resort was the surroundings. Windows and doors were opened to allow the view to be seen from nearly anywhere and the soft trickle of water could just be heard above the sounds of talking. They passed a few people, most wearing yukatas but some wearing their normal clothes, denoting them as either coming or going from the resort.

It wasn't long before they stopped outside one of the rooms and the woman handed Tenzou a set of keys. "Breakfast begins at nine and ends at eleven and dinner begins at five and ends at nine. If you need anything please ask. Enjoy your stay." She gave them a bow. Tenzou thanked her and she left back towards reception as the duo entered their room.

As he walked in behind Tenzou Naruto looked around the room. It was rather simple; tatami floors, rice paper walls, a small table in the centre with a fully stocked tea set and a small closet where the futons were stacked. Their room was on the second floor and as such they had a small balcony accessible through a sliding door which looked out on the gardens, the gentle trickle of water faintly drifting up from the ponds below.

Tenzou dropped their rucksacks by the wall and flopped down on one of the cushions at the table with a sigh. He glanced over at Naruto who stood by the door, suddenly unsure as to what to do. Up until now the walk from Konoha to the ryokan had provided a minor distraction for them both to pass the time but now they were stuck together. The full weight of the mission the Hokage had given him suddenly began to press down on him. For the next few years (Indefinitely, the mission report had stated) he had to train, take care of and basically raise this kid when he himself had zero knowledge about childrearing beyond what he picked up the few times he had to babysit on a D-rank as a Genin. He thought back to what the Sandaime had said to him the previous night.

'_All his life Naruto has faced scorn, hatred and outright violence. So far he has managed to keep it from breaking him but I fear that may not last. He's a young boy, Tenzou, with very few wishes. All he wants is to be treated as a human, as an equal, and not as a demon. Just be patient with him, show some interest in him as a person and you'll be fine. Encourage him, praise his work when he tries hard and basically try to be his friend. He's had too little of that in his short life. I'm sure that once you get to know him you'll see that Naruto is a fine young man.'_

'_Well, here goes nothing.'_ The Jounin mentally sighed. Pulling the tea set towards him he called to the boy still standing by the door, "Have a seat, Naruto, you must be tired from all that walking."

Naruto blinked at being addressed and slowly made his way over to the table where he lowered himself onto a cushion across from Tenzou. Nothing was said as the Jounin went about grinding the leaves and placing them in the blue porcelain cup before adding the steaming water, filling them to the brim with warm green liquid. A relaxing scent wafted from the steaming cups and Tenzou pushed one towards the blonde, taking a sip of his own. He sighed appreciatively and glanced over to where Naruto was starting at his cup with something akin to confusion or uncertainty.

"The cup won't bite you know."

Naruto jumped slightly at the sound of the man's voice and hesitantly reached out for the cup. He brought it to his lips and breathed inhaled the scent. Finding it to his liking he took a small sip, licking his lips afterwards. He blinked. It tasted good. He proceeded to take more, larger sips until the cup was empty. He set it back down on the table with a content sigh.

"Good?"

He glanced up at Tenzou who had been watching him silently.

"It was alright." The blonde muttered quietly, glancing back down at his now empty cup.

To his surprise the Jounin chuckled. "You don't need to be shy, Naruto." He said as he took another drink of his own tea.

"I'm not shy!" Naruto defended himself.

The brown haired man merely arched an eyebrow at him. "Really? Then what are you?"

The young boy didn't know how to answer that.

Tenzou sighed and set his cup back on the table before resting his clasped hands on the table in a decidedly 'businessman-like' manner. He seemed to study the small child across from him before beginning. "You're shy, that much is obvious. There's nothing wrong with that, it's simply a fact. I'm a stranger and it's only natural to be shy around those you don't know. But because I'm a stranger, and given your personal history, I'd also hazard a guess that you're afraid. Wait." He held up his hand when the boy's mouth opened. "Let me finish." When the boy relented he continued, "Now, for the foreseeable future we are going to be travelling, training, living and fighting together as I train you to be a ninja. We're going to be moving all over the Elemental Nations and, eventually, we'll be doing missions together. We'll be far from Konoha in foreign and, in some cases, _hostile_ lands, without backup. If we are to survive then we need to learn to trust each other and we can't do that if we don't know each other. So, I believe introductions are in order."

He poured them more tea and took a sip before starting. "My name is Tenzou. I'm an orphan and don't know who my family was so it's just Tenzou. I'm twenty-four years old. I attended the ninja academy at age six, graduated age twelve and became a Chuunin at age fourteen. I've been a Jounin for the past six years as a member of ANBU. In my spare time I like listening to music, going out with my friends and watching TV. I don't like spiders or heights; definitely don't like heights. Eventually I hope to settle down, maybe have some kids." He took a long dreg from his cup, draining it. "Well, that's my life in a nutshell." He looked at Naruto. "Your turn."

Naruto was surprised by what he heard. This guy was an orphan, just like him. Looking into his tea at the reflection staring back at him, Naruto's voice started off hesitant but slowly became stronger. "My name is… Uzumaki Naruto. I'm an orphan as well. I'm six and Jiji was going to put me in the academy in a few months but I guess that I won't need to now. I like ramen, the Ichiraku family and Jiji. I don't like… Konoha." His blue eyes became darker and ice entered his voice at the mention of his home village. Tenzou simply raised an eyebrow at the boy as he shook himself, as if casting off bad memories. Gaining control of himself once more the boy finished with, "I want to… My dream is to be the best recon-nin ever!" He proclaimed with a megawatt grin.

Tenzou blinked at the kid's proclamation then smiled. The boy certainly had the drive to become a ninja, that was for sure. "Good. Well, now that we've been properly introduced what's say we order some room service to kick off this trip in style?"

Naruto grinned widely at the thought of food. He was starving.

"No ramen."

"Aw!"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked as Tenzou led him through the ryokan. He tugged at the yukata he was wearing (Which, by some miracle of chance, was orange of all colours) and hefted his towel. He'd never worn one before and the feeling was strange; almost like he was wearing nothing but a bath robe in public. Tenzou was wearing one and carried his own towel as well.

"Well," The Jounin started as they neared a set of doors from which people regularly entered or exited. "The next few weeks are going to be particularly harsh, particularly for you. Training to be a ninja is no easy feat, especially for a beginner. After that we're going to be moving all over the world, from deserts to jungles, across oceans and over mountains. It's going to be tough. So, for tonight at least, we're going to do nothing more than sit back and relax in the traditional way." He finished with a smile.

Naruto blinked up at the man. "What way is that?"

Tenzou glanced down at him as he reached for the handle to the door. "A good soak in the onsen, of course."

The door slid open and Naruto followed him into a small area filled with shelves containing baskets for clothes. Beyond that was a doorway blocked by cloth drapes and from behind them a large amount of steam wafted into the room. Following Tenzou's example he ditched his yukata in one of the baskets and wrapped the towel around his waist. He noticed Tenzou disappearing through the partition and hurried after him. Ducking under the cloth, the first thing to register was the extreme humidity. Blinking rapidly to try and see through the thick steam, Naruto gaped as he got his first look at what an onsen really was.

It was a large bath but not like the one in his old apartment. Instead of a small tub of white porcelain, this was a large, irregular shaped formation of rock sunk into the ground. High bamboo walls provided privacy but the roof was bare, allowing them to see up at the sky. People, only men Naruto saw, lounged in the water, either resting casually against the rocks or in small groups, chatting quietly. Soft music flitted through the air which, coupled with the humid air, made him feel relaxed almost to the point of drowsiness.

"Naruto." Tenzou's quiet voice snapped him out of his daze and Naruto looked over to where he was sitting on a stool near the bath's edge, a small bucket of water and a scoop at his feet. He motioned the young boy over and Naruto, mindful of the slippery floor, shuffled over to him, feeling rather self-conscious about his lack of clothing. He held his towel securely as he sat on one of the stools.

"I'm guessing you've never been to an onsen before?" Tenzou stated, more than asked. When Naruto shook his head he nodded. "Yeah, I thought as much. Well, if you're going to partake of this old pleasure then there are a few rules you'll have to follow."

"Aw man!" Naruto pouted.

"Now, now, enough of that. The rules are really quite simple but they are also important and rigorously enforced. If you break them then you'll most likely be thrown out and not let back in. You don't want that do you?" Naruto shook his head vigorously. "Of course you don't. Now, this is a bath but not a normal bath. You don't come here to get clean, you come here to relax. You're actually not allowed to enter the water if you're dirty. That's why they give us these." He held up the bucket and scoop. "Onsen rules and common courtesy mean that before you enter the water you should first clean yourself. If you're already clean you still need to at least rise your feet and genitals to symbolise cleanliness."

"Gena-wha?" Naruto asked. All these big words were throwing him through a loop.

Tenzou chuckled and set the bucket back down. "Your ding dong."

Naruto blushed brightly and forced himself not to splutter in indignation.

Chuckling again at Naruto's expression, Tenzou continued. "The next rule concerns the towels. You aren't allowed to dip the towel into the water as that wouldn't be clean. Most people just set it on the side of the pool until they need it. You're also not allowed to wear swimsuits in the more traditional onsen and most people think it's weird if you do."

"But…what if there's…you know…" Naruto muttered, trying to voice his concerns.

"If there's what?" Tenzou smiled, guessing what he was about to ask.

Naruto blushed at the mere thought. "You know…what if there's girls in the onsen while I'm in?"

Tenzou snickered at the boy's bashfulness. "Don't worry. In Fire Country the men and the women's onsen are separate. It's only the guys in here."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He was thankful that there was a 'no girls allowed rule' here. He didn't want to be naked near a girl! What if they got cooties in the water! Then something about what Tenzou had said struck him and he glanced up at the Jounin through his loose bangs. "Um…Tenzou? You said onsen in Fire Country separate the guys from the girls. What about the other countries' onsen?"

The brown haired Jounin gave a snicker. "You'll see." Was all he would say.

A strong sense of foreboding crept up Naruto's spine. What did he mean by that?

Tenzou shook his head, getting back on track. "As I was saying, the final rule is about the noise in an onsen. An onsen is a place for people to come relax and forget the stress of the day so it tends to be a very quiet place. Kind of like a library. Talking is allowed but only if it's quiet. For kids like you the rules are a bit looser and a small level of rowdiness is allowed but not much. So just talk quietly, don't splash around so much and you'll be fine. So, we clear on the rules of an onsen?"

"Wash before going in the water, don't put your towel in the water, don't be noisy." Naruto surmised perfectly.

"Exactly. Now get washed and we can go in."

After a quick scrub down Naruto followed Tenzou to an open space at the edge of the bath. The Jounin slipped into the steaming water with a content sigh as the hot water eased the aches from his muscles. His eyes opened only slightly, he saw Naruto standing on the edge, looking at the water with something akin to hesitation. "If you're worried about the temperature I suggest just dropping in quickly. You'll get used to it soon enough."

Naruto hesitated for a moment before taking a bracing breath and, dropping his towel, hopped into the bath with a small splash. Barely a second after he dropped under the water he sprung back up, his teeth clenched, eyes wide and hands like claws. "_Fuck!_" The now lobster pink boy hissed through gritted teeth.

Tenzou laughed at the boy but admonished him for the language before resting his back against the hot stone edge of the bath, his eyes closing in contentment. Naruto took a while longer but eventually he got used to the water and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of the warm water on his muscles. For a long time the two just sat there enjoying the soothing properties of the water and listening to the soft sounds of music, talking and the sloshing of the water.

"Hey, Naruto?" Tenzou said lazily, not opening his eyes.

"Hmm?" Naruto asked back, equally as lazily. He was submerged under the water up to his nose and a small group of bubbles accompanied the acknowledgement.

"When we go back to the room I'll order us some more food. We're going to have an early night since we need to get moving tomorrow but I want to talk to you about what you'll be learning and what we'll be doing on this trip."

"Hmm."

"Be careful you don't fall asleep or you'll drown."

"Hmm…"

* * *

Naruto flopped back on his futon with a content sigh, his stomach fuller than he could remember. He and Tenzou (Mostly him) had demolished a large lobster along with the rice, fish and other dishes that they had ordered. It was a meal big enough for four and while Tenzou was content with his own quarter, Naruto took it upon himself to take care of the remaining three. He let out a loud belch and scratched his round belly. "That was a damn good meal."

"Yes it was." Tenzou agreed as he sipped his tea. "And watch your language."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the man. If he thought _that _was bad he should hear him when he was mad.

"Now do you want to hear about your training?" Tenzou asked and blinked as the boy was before him in an instant, leaning forward eagerly with his eyes wide, a grin on his face. He simply shook his head. "Okay, so tomorrow we're going to be heading east towards the town nearby. It'll take us a good few hours to get there so we'll leave early. Once we get there I'm going to secure us a few more provisions that we'll be needing as well as getting us some transport. We're heading towards a hidden plateau in the mountains known only to the ANBU. It's a secret training spot that the Hokage has given us to use for the first month or two of the trip. You'll get an introduction into the basics of being a ninja there. It'll take us three days to get there. You with me so far?"

Naruto nodded excitedly.

"Good. As for the training itself, you'll be spending a lot of time learning to control your chakra but I'll also teach you things like how to throw kunai, maybe one of the three academy jutsu and I'm even planning to teach you some of the main ANBU taijutsu; Basic Form. Remember though that while you'll be learning these things you'll also need to study and that means book learning."

"Aw man!" Naruto whined loudly. He hated reading!

"It has to be this way Naruto." Tenzou chastised sternly. "You need knowledge just as much as you need fighting skills. If you don't study then I won't teach you any jutsu." Naruto squawked at that then gave a resigned sigh, nodding his head. Tenzou smiled. "Don't worry, it won't be that bad. Back to what I was saying. After our time at the plateau is over we'll be moving all over Fire Country. You'll need to become intimately familiar with the land, both the wilderness and the civilisation, before we can move on." He paused then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Before we leave the plateau we really need to sit down and discuss what skills, knowledge and abilities a recon-nin should have. The Hokage only gave a small, hurried list to work with but I'm sure if he had time he would have added a lot more to it."

"You want me to decide?" Naruto asked, astonished.

Tenzou looked at him as if he was stupid. "Well, considering you're the first recon-nin in history we don't really have anything to go on. We're flying by the seat of our pants here so I guess we'll have to make it up as we go along. Have a think about it as we travel and we'll come back to it later on."

Naruto nodded then suddenly yawned hugely, not even bothering to cover his mouth. His eyes blinked blearily and he looked a little tired. Tenzou checked the time and was surprised to see that it was nearing 11.p.m. "Okay Naruto, time to call it a night. We have a big day tomorrow and you'll need your energy."

The young blonde nodded wearily and crawled over to his futon, flopping down onto the comfy bedding with a content sigh as he pulled the cover over himself. He paused for a moment as if remembering something then kicked the covers off himself.

Tenzou watched the boy stagger over to his pack and rummage around for a few minutes, the occasional muttered curse audible over his searching, before he gave a cry of victory. Tenzou watched as the boy placed something on his head then had to choke back a laugh as the boy turned back around.

"What is it?" Naruto asked grumpily, his sleeping cap dangling from his head. He pouted at the Jounin who was obviously trying not to laugh at him and doing a poor job of it at that.

"N-Nothing." Tenzou assured, making sure his face was straight and trying valiantly to keep the faint waver out of his voice as he fought back his laughter. He couldn't help it; the kid looked too damn funny with that ridiculous cap.

Muttering a few choice expletives under his voice, most concerning stupid Jounin who could go and introduce sharp objects to nether orifices, the boy crawled back under the blankets of his futon and after a few minutes managed to get comfortable.

He didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead he lay gazing out of the open balcony door at the night sky outside, the stars twinkling high above the firmament. The soft sounds of the running water coupled with the distant chirrups, squawks and warbles from the nearby forest as well as the quiet that came with the secluded area made for a very peaceful and relaxing setting. He could see why people came here. He might come back himself one day.

As he lay there on his bedding his mind replayed the past day over in his head and he had to say that compared to the norm, today had been pretty damn good. He ate good food, got to visit his very first onsen and, better yet, not once did he see an unkind face or her a scathing word spoken. Hell, the woman at the front desk had even smiled at him! And it looked like things were only getting better, he noted with a grin. He was going to be trained as a ninja _and_ he didn't need to be in Konoha to do it! If things went the way they seemed to be he may never even have to set foot inside the Village Hidden in the Leaves again!

His thoughts turned to Tenzou at that point. Since they set out from the gate the man had been polite, if a little distant at points, and rather kind. He was still wary of the Jounin; a boy like Naruto didn't survive this long by simply giving his trust to each and every person he met. But Jiji had said he trusted the man and so he'd give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.

Stifling another huge yawn and feeling sleep's embrace beginning to take him, Naruto snuggled deeper into his futon and fell asleep but not before muttering a few quiet words.

"Night, Tenzou."

It was almost inaudible but the brown haired Jounin heard it. He smiled at the boy's blanket swathed form then drained the last of his tea. After killing the lights and climbing into his own futon he gave one last glance at the slumbering blonde then closed his eyes as he hunkered down for the night.

Maybe this teaching thing wouldn't be so bad…

* * *

**Short yes but this is where I wanted to end it. Read and review or simply jump to the next chapter.**

**(P.S. Naruto now left the village at 6 rather than 8.)**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Naruto! Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. I don't own Naruto.**

**A/N: IMPORTANT - I've updated two chapters, this one and Chapter 2 so go back and read that one first it has an important Author's Note you should read.**

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The next morning was largely uneventful. After dragging Naruto out of his futon Tenzou ordered their breakfast, making sure to include lots of healthy alternatives for the boy despite his protests. He eventually shut up after Tenzou warned him that they were going to be doing a lot of travelling over the next three days and he'd need all the energy he could get. Still, the boy made it perfectly clear that he preferred Ichiraku ramen for breakfast. Or indeed any other meal. After being properly fed and watered they gathered their gear and checked out of the ryokan. Their destination was Juanta, a trade town a good five hours away. Despite the fact that the journey was to be made on foot Naruto didn't complain. He often spent entire days just wandering around the village so a few hours shouldn't be too much trouble. Unfortunately a young child can only walk along a country road with no distractions for so long before boredom eventually sets in. Luckily for Tenzou yesterday served as a warning of just how annoying a bored Naruto could be and he managed to keep the boy happy with a simple wooden ninja-to that he pulled seemingly from thin air. When Naruto asked where he got it the Jounin simply smiled and said it was a secret.

After that the trip passed quietly with Tenzou seemingly lost in thought and Naruto happily playing with his sword. They stopped to rest after three hours before continuing on towards the small town.

Juanta followed the norm when it came to Fire Country towns. Small buildings made of wood and stone with clay tile roofs that absorbed the heat from the sun. The roads were simple dirt paths worn smooth by generations of travel, occasionally added to with litter or horse dung. The main roads were chocked with the carts of traders and merchants heading towards Konoha or one of the larger cities and the herds livestock headed towards the market for sale. The butchers were already sizing up the latest wares, fat fingers running along the sharp edges of their cleavers in anticipation. Along the avenues stalls and stands were erected selling everything from foods to silks and trinkets. The constant bustle kicked up dust from the streets and the sound of hundreds of voices floated over the town in one loud hum. Juanta was by nature a trading town and it had enjoyed a notable success in its one hundred years of existence.

Naruto trotted along behind Tenzou, trying desperately not to get lost or swept away by the fanfare. He was constantly being buffeted by the crowds or herded aside to make way for the carts. His small head was swivelling this way and that trying to take everything in at once. Tenzou muscled his way through the throng, allowing Naruto to quickly dart through the gaps he made behind him. Naruto gripped the wooden ninja-to tightly. The constant jostling was getting annoying. Pretty soon someone was going to be hit with that ninja-to.

They followed the flow of the crowds towards the large halls where the livestock were penned. A large patchwork of kennels spread out under a large overhanging roof held up on thick pillars, leaving the pens open to the world like an enormous pavilion. The areas around the pens were packed with the herders and the dynasts who's job it was to check the purity of a beast's breeding and tally its value accordingly. Slaughtermen patrolled the halls in their long button-up greatcoats, their ceremonial cleaver swords gleaming as their eyes watched the crowds for any sign of trouble. The floor was caked with dried white excrement which was shovelled up and tossed into drums. There was a good trade in dealing dried animal crap to serve as phosphorus. Staccato shouts echoed around the cavernous hall as deals were made. Traders, some from as far as the Lands of Water and Earth, others as near as Konoha, examined the wares with expert eyes, checking in with the dynasts to find the best bred beasts. Game agents, contracted by fighting pits, combed the place for the most ruthless and bloodthirsty carnivores they could find. They would be carted off to the gladiator arenas to face off against the fighters.

A few hundred yards out of the village stood the rendering silos where long processions of bovines, sheep and the rare group of mammoths marched in grim compliance towards their death, ready to be rendered down into meat and shipped of to the prefectures up and down Fire Country to feed the masses. Packs of meat cuts were loaded onto convoys of carts to be hauled along the dusts roads to towns. For more picky and wealthy clients hand picked animals of better lineage and breeding were herded into gigantic haulers pulled by three tethered mammoths each and secured in individual pens using special stasis jutsu to keep them alive and fresh to feed the upper classes where quality steak could fetch quite the pretty penny.

"Geez! This place stinks!" Naruto exclaimed, a hand covering his nose and mouth as they headed through the crowds. He gingerly stepped over a large pile of dung.

"I know but hopefully we'll be in and out before too long." Tenzou said, not wholly bothered by the stench. He'd smelled worse things in his time. You got into some crazy shit when you were in ANBU. No pun intended.

"What are we even looking for here? What can we find here that'll help me become a great ninja?" The blonde queried, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

"Nothing. Well, not directly anyway. We need transport that we can use to get to the place where I'll be training you so we're going to need a cart and some horses. We could have probably waited until the place quietened down a bit but by then any horse worth looking at will have been scooped up."

"I thought ninja didn't use horses. I thought they just ran places." Naruto said, surprised. He'd seen ninja back in Konoha jumping from building to building like no one's business and could only wonder why they'd resort to horses to get them places.

Tenzou nodded. "The world's a big place, Naruto. Even ninja can't travel across it on foot alone. We use horses, or sometimes summoned animals, to travel to the place we need to be then, if we need to, travel the rest of the way on foot."

"Don't ninja run faster than horses?"

"Yes. But not horses as you're used to."

"What do you mean?"

"Ninja use a very special breed of horses. They're commonly called nin-horses. They're special in that they don't just use the power of their muscles alone to gallop but they've been trained to unconsciously channel chakra through their legs. The end result is horses that are faster than normal horses and can run farther before they need a rest. A Jounin, and maybe a high level Chuunin, can run as fast as one of these horses for a short time but they would tire out very quickly."

"So we're here for one of these horses?" Naruto asked.

Tenzou nodded and led him between the pens. Naruto amused himself by gazing at all the different beasts they passed as Tenzou searched for the area allocated to the horses. He recognised a few of the animals. The common boring things like cows, sheep and pigs hardly received more than a second glance but it was the larger creatures that really caught the young boy's attention. He gawked at the towering mammoths who tossed their long ivory tusks and shook their shaggy manes, he gazed at the funny looking large enokh birds on their disproportionately long legs and he practically slavered over the single caged carnodon, chained down to keep it from breaking free and mauling its handlers. The giant reptilian's tough hide was covered in scars, six inch long teeth gleaming in the poor light. A pair of slit red eyes stared at the passers-by hungrily.

It would fetch a hefty price with the game agents.

Naruto was so caught up in his observations that he didn't see the entourage making its way towards him nor did he hear Tenzou's warning. Something knocked hard into his side and sent him sprawling on the dirty ground, his ninja-to tumbling out of his grip. A little dazed, he shook his head and looked up to see a heavyset man wearing an expensive suit of red velvet under a large cloak of what looked like some sort of wolf pelt. A bronze crown sat about his brow from which jutted a pair of polished antlers but the man's black hair was so thick that it covered the metal, making the rack appear to sprout from his own head. He seemed one part businessman, one part shaman. Following behind him was a gathering of retainers, his dynasts, ledger bearers and Slaughtermen with their cleaver swords all gathered about him as he easily cut through the crowds. He was obviously a man of importance as looks of utmost respect were sent his way and more than a few people bowed as he passed by. No one seemed to notice or care that he'd just knocked a small child to the ground and didn't seem to care.

Naruto's face screwed up in anger. "Oi! Watch where you're walking, you fat prick!"

"You okay?" Tenzou asked as he helped the boy to his feet. He handed the blonde his discarded ninja-to.

"Yeah." The boy muttered as he dusted himself off. Glancing at the group that was just disappearing around the corner he asked, "Who was that guy?"

"Noticed there was something different about him, eh? That was Kaizen Kizko, the Slaughterbaron. He basically runs this town. If someone wants to do business they need to clear it with him first. He owns the pens and rents them out for a modest fee to the merchants and herdsmen. A small percent of all deals made here go to him as thanks for using the premises."

"What about those dudes with the huge swords?"

"The Slaughtermen? They're basically Kaizen's private army. They act as security. Make sure things go smoothly during the trading. Don't let the looks fool you though. Those swords were made to kill people, not animals."

"He's a asshole." Naruto said with finality.

"Maybe but a very important one. You should remember that. You never know when you might need the Slaughterbaron's services." Tenzou lectured him as they entered the section where the horses were kept. Row upon row, pen upon pen, the place was filled with horses. They neighed and whinnied, tossing their heads and flicking their tails as prospective buyers peered closely at them. A few were let into the pens under the ever watchful eyes of the breeders to see up close the quality of the magnificent beasts. Naruto was sure that there was a menagerie of different breeds but he didn't know any. He just saw big and little, brown, white and black, tall, sleek, fat and a host of other descriptives. Naruto whistled as he overhead a particularly wealthy looking guy close a deal with one of the breeders. These things sold for more money than his apartment!

Although, given the state of his apartment complex in general that probably wasn't a hard figure to match.

Naruto watched Tenzou check each chalkboard sign on the pens until they found the ones they were looking for. The writing on the board said _Nin-breed._

"Ah! Good sir, I see you've noticed my fine animals! You've a keen eye. They are some of the finest animals I've ever bred." The breeder strolled over to them. By the shine of his riding boots, his immaculate clothes and the sleeked back hair it was obvious that the man was quite well off.

"Yes I have. Fabulous creatures. A testament to your skill. Family business by any chance?" Tenzou asked companionably.

The breeder beamed. "Why yes! Unotaka Joushiro, second son of the Unotaka family. We've been breading some of the best horses in Fire Country for the last three hundred years."

"The Unotaka family you say? Yes, I've heard of your work. Good things too. Fine things. I believe there are even a few of your family's horses at our stables back in Konoha."

"We've had pleasurable dealings with your fine village in the past. Very amicable dealings. We hope to continue such a partnership for a long while." Unotaka said. "But I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about my family's previous ventures, ninja-san. How may I be of assistance today?"

"Well, Unotaka-san, I'm in need of two horses. Nin-breed. Preferably one of them being suited for young children learning how to ride."

"Yes I see why you might." Unotaka muttered, briefly glancing at Naruto. "I believe I have two that will suit your needs."

He led them over to two pens, side by side. In one was a large black horse, a white diamond of hair at the centre of its head. The other held a slightly smaller one, this one with a coat of chestnut brown with some white at the end of its muzzle. They pawed at the hay covered ground in their pens.

"There they are." Unotaka said proudly. "Some of my best horses. Bred them personally. I grantee they'll fulfil your needs."

Tenzou nodded approvingly as he inspected the horses. He tested their legs for weakness, felt the firmness of their muscles beneath their gleaming coats, checked their teeth to determine their age and sensed the high levels of chakra running through their systems. "Prime animals Unotaka-san I commend your skill. How much are you asking for them?"

"210,000¥."

Tenzou looked at the man. "For both of them you mean?"

"No, each." Unotaka corrected.

Tenzou stood from where he'd been checking the hooves of the chestnut horse. "Unotaka-san, that's double the price you would pay for either of these horses."

The breeder crossed his arms across his chest. "These are Unotaka bred horses. That means animals of the utmost purest breeding and training. You'd be hard pressed to find better horses anywhere. 210,000¥, no lower."

"I'd be happy to give you 210,000¥. For both."

"No, for one. If you want both it would cost 420,000¥ in which case I'd be more than happy to do business with you."

"I'm sure you would." Tenzou remarked dryly. "But the fact remains you are grossly overcharging for these animals. I'll give you 270,000¥. That includes the saddles, bridles and harnesses."

"270,000¥!" The man's face went red. Collecting himself he continued, "These are some of the best horses to come out of my family's stables. Quality horses! World class even!"

"And if you asked any breeder here they would each say the same of their own animals." Tenzou replied calmly, his arms open in supplication. "It's the best offer you'll get for them, I suggest you take it."

The man took a calming breath, his eyes glaring into Tenzou. "You, sir, insult me. We're done here. It's obvious that you don't know quality when you see it."

The horse breeder made to move away when Tenzou caught him by the arm, stopping him. Naruto noticed two of Unotaka's farmhands stand from where they had been lounging against the gate of one of the nearby pens, their hands drifting towards the heavy truncheons hanging from their belts.

Tenzou noticed as well.

"Unotaka-san, I _highly_ suggest you reconsider my offer." Tenzou said it politely enough but their was a near unnoticeable tone of something in his voice that said it wasn't merely a request.

To his credit Unotaka didn't seem intimidated in the least. "You do, do you?" He sniffed, looking down his slightly arched nose at the Jounin. "And why is that?"

"Well," Tenzou shrugged casually. "If I where to go back to Konoha and tell my friends that the Unotaka family were overcharging for their horses then they would tell their friends and their friends would tell their friends and so forth. Ninja are outrageous gossips, you wouldn't believe. Eventually though word would get around and they might find themselves inclined to avoid dealing with your family if they feel they might be cheated. This close to Konoha that would most certainly prove fatal to your business here."

"Are you threatening me?" The man blustered.

Tenzou shook his head as he released the man's arm. "Of course not. I'm merely saying that bad publicity can prove very bad for a business. Now about those horses…"

For several long minutes the man stewed over it. "Fine!" He spat. "270,000¥ for both of them."

"Including the saddles, bridles and harnesses?"

Unotaka grit his teeth. "Yes, including them."

"Excellent!" Tenzou beamed. "Now that that's all cleared up we have some business to attend to in the village. I assume that we can leave the horses here until that business in concluded?"

Unotaka grudgingly agreed and they took their leave.

"Nice work." Naruto remarked as they left the trade hall. It was refreshing to breath clear air after so long being surrounded by the strong musk of animal shit. "Are you gonna each me how to do that?"

"Do what?" Tenzou asked.

"What you did to that guy."

"Manipulation? Yeah, I think we can squeeze that into your training."

"Sweet!" Naruto grinned widely.

Tenzou glanced at the boy out of the side of his eye. "Should I be worried?"

"No. Well… not yet at least."

"I'll remember that."

They meandered back down into the village proper. It was a little after three in the afternoon and trade was still in full swing and would continue for quite a while yet. Tenzou led Naruto through the streets, going from stall to store as he went about getting them some last minute supplies. He didn't carry the supplies he bought with him. Instead he somehow managed to seal them into small scrolls he carried in his vest (Another skill Naruto wanted to learn). Naruto for the most part just played around with his ninja-to or wandered around the stores for lack of anything else to do. More than once Tenzou had to rein him in when he got too inquisitive for his own good.

Good thing too. That glass sculpture looked expensive.

By the time they were done it was already late evening. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, a small jut of bright orange, casting long shadows on the ground. The wind was just turning cold as stalls were disassembled and unsold goods were packed away for another day. People either headed home after a hard day's graft or retired to the tavern for a quick drink or to hash out the deals on some type of business venture. Good trade waited for no man after all.

The duo returned to Unotaka at the trade halls. The place was mostly empty now save for the breeders, herders and Kaizen's Slaughtermen and of course the animals. There were fewer now though, either gone to another trading town or sold off. It was eerily quiet after the rancorous noise of the busy work day. Pen attendants in dirty overalls scooped the dung from the pens into carts to be taken away. The smell was horrendous.

They found the breeder outside the pens where their horses where kept. The surrounding pens were empty so Naruto assumed the man either sold them all or was moving on.

"About time you arrived." The man grumped, all traces of his earlier pleasant façade gone. Naruto got the feeling Tenzou's threat really pissed the guy off.

"Evening, Unotaka-san." Tenzou nodded kindly. That seemed to piss him off more. "I trust that our horses are ready?"

"Of course." Unotaka said. "I trust you have my payment?"

"Of course." Tenzou handed him the sheet of paper he was holding. "A voucher straight from the desk of the Hokage. I've already filled it in. All you need to do is sign then present it to the Hokage and he'll pay you."

Unotaka plucked the voucher from Tenzou's hand and clipped over to a nearby toll table where he spread out the voucher and peered at it through a gilded magnifying glass he plucked from the velvet waistcoat of his finely cut suit. He examined it closely for several long moments, looking for any sign of forgery. Ninja were a sneaky bunch by nature.

"If you'll please?" Unotaka asked crisply.

Tenzou placed a finger to the paper and channelled some chakra into it. Light flared across the paper illuminating the chakra conductive watermark bearing the Hokage's personal seal. It was not a forgery.

"Very well." The haughty man said primly. Naruto got the feeling he really wanted the voucher to be false just so he could refuse to do business with Tenzou. "Our business is complete. Take your horses and go, I have other matters to deal with."

"A pleasure doing business with you, Unotaka-san." Tenzou smiled. If anything it seemed to irritate the man even more.

Tenzou led the horses from their pens by their reins and led them and Naruto out of the trade halls, stopping just off the main road out of town.

"Uh, Tenzou-sensei?" Naruto said hesitantly. That surprised the Jounin. Naruto had never been hesitant about saying anything so far. "It maybe a bad time to bring this up but I don't know how to ride a horse."

"I wasn't expecting you to. The riding training comes later. For now let's focus on getting to the place where you'll be doing the training."

"We're leaving now?" Naruto asked in surprise. "I thought we'd be staying it town then leaving in the morning. It's night time now."

"I know but remember Hokage-sama didn't want to advertise the fact that you were leaving. Why did you think I've been steering you away from ninja all day. The place was teeming with Konoha ninja. I want to get out of here before anyone sees you."

Naruto's jaw fell. "Really? I never noticed."

Tenzou smirked. "And that's why I'm a ninja. Now as for how we're going to travel…"

He clasped his hands together whilst whispering something that Naruto didn't catch. He wouldn't have cared much either once he saw thick ropes of wood shoot out from the ground. Funny thing was they looked like long flexible planks instead of naturally growing wood. They flowed together, interlocking and crossing over one another and in seconds a small cart stood before them, looking as though it had just been rolled out fresh from a carpenter's workshop.

Naruto was in awe. "Cool! Was that a jutsu? Can you do more stuff like that? Will you be teaching me?"

Tenzou chuckled at the boy's reaction. "Slow down Naruto, one at a time. Yes, that was a jutsu. Yes, I can do more things like that. Yes, I will be teaching you jutsu."

"Awesome!" The child practically squealed.

Tenzou just smiled as he set about securing the cart to the harnesses of the horses. By the time he was done Naruto had already crawled into the back of the cart where his head was starting to loll. It had been a long day. Tenzou checked the scrolls he was carrying and unsealed one of the sleeping bags for the boy to crawl into which he did with a small grunt of thanks.

He was out like a light.

Tenzou chuckled quietly as he climbed up onto the driver's seat. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the sleeping boy was secured and not in any danger of sliding off the back of the cart Tenzou cracked the horses' reins and gently steered them along the dirt path that led away from Juanta.

* * *

Naruto didn't wake until noon the next day. When he did wake the first thing he saw the the expansive and lush greenery of the Land of Fire countryside. They had already left Konoha Prefecture, the one hundred and fifty kilometre radius around the village that fell under the jurisdiction of the Hokage and, to a lesser degree, the Konoha council, and had entered Tanjin Prefecture which rested south of the village. Expansive crop fields and rolling hills as far as the eye could see surrounded them. Copses of trees and full blown forests were smudges of dark green swaying in the gentle breeze and every so often they would see massive fields of wildflowers like a sea of colour surging out across the landscape and breaking against the colossal and immovable mountains that stood tall on the horizon, their snow covered peaks disappearing into the clouds.

They stopped sporadically for lunch or for bathroom breaks. They talked a little, mostly about what Naruto was going to learn during his training, but for the most part Naruto just hung over the edge of the cart, watching the world slowly pass by.

It continued that way for the three days it took them to reach the hidden training plateau and by the beginning to the second day boredom had become a serious issue. Serious because when Naruto was bored he would annoy Tenzou non-stop until he found something else to occupy his time with. Learning a lesson from the toy ninja-to (Which Naruto was still carrying) Tenzou started making small toys for the boy to play with which took Naruto's mind off the long travel and allowed the poor Jounin a few hours of peace.

It was noon on the third day when they reached their destination. The road had splintered off into a slightly overgrown dirt path that wound through a small spattering of trees until it just stopped at the base of one of the mountains, this one as unremarkable as the rest.

Tenzou hopped off the cart as Naruto peered up at the mountain.

"Is this it?" The boy asked dubiously. "Doesn't look like the place you'd expect to find a secret training place."

"Of course." Tenzou said as he stepped up to a large flat section of the mountain base. He seemed to be searching for something. "If people thought there might be a secret training ground here then it wouldn't be all that secret would it? Now where is it… Ah! Here we are."

Naruto watched as the Jounin ran through a long stream of hand seals then place his finger to the mountainside, just above head height. He watch amazed as the man spelled out a long series of kanji with his finger and in the wake of his hand movements a glowing kanji burned on the stone. Tenzou wrote in a continuous line from above his head to the ground, never one removing his finger from the stone until he was done. He stood back and admired his work, nodding to himself when he noticed no discrepancies. He placed his hands to the mountainside, on either side of the kanji line, and pushed with a grunt.

Naruto watched spellbound as the mountain's stone opened up, two large doors of thick stone sliding open with the deep groan of stone grinding against stone. Tenzou stepped back, dusting off his hands while Naruto peered into the opening from the back of the cart, trying unsuccessfully to pierce the gloom. He was about to ask Tenzou how the hell they were meant to see in there when flames suddenly burst into life from brackets set into the wall. Naruto saw that the entrance immediately curved away into a long spiralling path that twisted up inside the mountain.

"Cool." Naruto breathed.

"Isn't it?" Tenzou asked rhetorically as he climbed back onto the cart. He guided the horses into the tunnel, manoeuvring a little to get them onto the spiralling path, then let them pull the cart up the gentle slope. Hearing a grinding noise, Naruto looked over his shoulder to see the entrance seal itself shut, not even a trace of light piercing through the gap.

"So what is this place anyway?" Naruto asked, his voice echoing wonderfully. He was going to play around with the echoes more but Tenzou had already started talking.

"Like I said it's a hidden training ground used exclusively by the ANBU. The Hokage has already given it to us for at least three months so you can get the basics down before we start travelling. I won't lie, Naruto, this is going to be some gruelling training. If you were in the academy you would be learning at an easier pace but since you're learning on the move you'll need to dedicate yourself a lot more to your training. I'm not just talking about learning how to fight but also the other skills you need. Remember your becoming the world's first recon-nin so that means you need to learn about the different countries you'll be visiting instead of focusing solely on Fire Country. I'll have to tell you though, the way things are looking your training will be more studying than fighting."

Naruto was slightly put out by that. He was a ninja not a geek! Why would studying about some stupid fact be more important than learning to kill a guy with a lunch tray?

For a small child Naruto had a pretty graphic imagination.

He probably would have said something along the lines of a loud complaint but the hint of sunlight from around the bend up ahead stalled any arguments from him. The cart rounded the last bend and left the gloom of the tunnel, emerging into the light. It took Naruto a second to adjust to the sudden change. What he saw amazed him.

A large house had been constructed of light grey stone, almost the same shade of the mountain. Standing three stories tall with a wall enclosing it the place looked big enough for twenty people to live there comfortably.

Tenzou chuckled at the boy's reaction. "If you thought that was amazing take a look around you."

Naruto did and his breath was immediately stolen from him.

They were on a plateau nestled in the slope of the mountains many hundreds of meters in the air. The Land of Fire stretched out below them in thousands of miles in all directions. Fields and flowerbeds and forests were all just blobs of colour up here. In the far distance, a tiny stain on the horizon, Naruto could glimpse what he thought to be Konoha. The heavy forests to the north blocked any sight of Juanta that Naruto might have glimpsed.

He was in awe. In all of his short life he had never seen anything like this. The only thing that even came close to stealing his breath like this view was doing now was the view he had glimpsed for the very first time from atop the Hokage Monument back in the village. If he'd been amazed then there were no words to describe what he was feeling now.

Wilderness one. Konoha zero.

"Impressed?" Tenzou asked with a knowing grin.

Naruto just nodded dumbly, still trying to comprehend the sheer scale of what he was seeing.

Tenzou chuckled and hopped down from the cart, starting to unbuckle it from the horses' harnesses. They wouldn't need it anymore. Naruto just stared off the plateau as he worked. When he was done he ordered the boy off the cart and with a few hand seals destroyed it, the wood that comprised it slithering back into the ground as if it had never existed in the first place.

Naruto walked with Tenzou who was leading the horses through the small gate in the wall. They emerged into an empty courtyard, the ground paved in large slabs the same colour of the building. A small stable stood at the far end, complete with hey, where Tenzou promptly tied the horses before removing their heavy saddles.

"Well," He said as he dropped the last saddle off to the side of the stable. The horses began to happily much on some hey. "What's say we head inside, unpack and get some food?"

"Sure!" Naruto said with some excitement and together they vanished into the tall building in search of food and rest.

* * *

**A/N: Done! Please review!**


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